1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an EL panel.
2. Related Background of the Invention
EL devices such as organic EL (electroluminescence), inorganic EL or the like are self-emitting light-emitting devices, and are known to have the characteristic features of high brightness and ease of making the device small and light-weight, and hence are promising for application to displays, lighting and so on. However, the light-emitting materials used in such EL devices tend to be prone to degradation due to the outside air (in particular moisture due to humidity etc.), and this has been one factor hindering making such EL devices have a long lifetime. Consequently, hitherto, to reduce contact with the outside air and thus lengthen the lifetime of EL devices, an EL panel form has often been used in which structures constituting the device are sealed between a substrate and a sealing plate.
In recent years, with an aim of further lengthening the lifetime of EL devices, in the case of a panel structured as described above, filling of space between the substrate and the sealing plate with a sealant such as a resin has been carried out. By filling with a sealant in this way, contact of the EL device with the outside air can be further suppressed, whereby degradation of the EL device and so on can be made less prone to occur. Moreover, by covering an EL device with a sealant in this way, the effect of external force on the EL device is reduced, whereby damage of the EL device due to being subjected to external force can be suppressed.
As a method of manufacturing such an EL panel in which the space between the substrate and the sealing plate is filled with a sealant, for example a method is known in which a sealant is applied onto the substrate so as to surround the EL device, then another sealant is dripped onto a region surrounded by above sealant, and the sealing plate is bonded on, and then the sealants are cured by, for example, irradiating with active rays (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-39542).